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Saturday, May 7, 2016

Taylor Swift Was The Top Earning Musician In 2015

Billboard released the list of the top 40 paying musicians of 2015 and Taylor Swift snatched the top spot. Indeed album sales are in the downward trend but live music sales are stronger than ever.

The biggest-earning musicians were all big tours in 2015. And though the top 10 were mostly legacy acts, a familiar name tops the charts.

Taylor Swift is in top spot at $73.5 million in 2015, she earned $61.7 million from touring. Her album sales were just $7.2 million, publishing (licensing to commercials or other media) $4.1 million, and streaming only $564,000.

The 2nd placer didn't come close to Taylor it goes to musician Kenny Chesney, who made $39.8 million. The Rolling Stones was in 3rd with $39.6 million, 4th place is Billy Joel ($31.7 million) and One Direction ($24.2 million) round out the top five.

Other notables on the list include Adele in 9th with $20.5 million in revenue, Madonna (14), Britney Spears (22), The Weeknd (28), Ariana Grande (29), Drake (32), and Nicki Minaj (39).